Moutabbal

Smoky, sexy, adaptable – moutabbal or baba ghanouj is maximum joy for minimum effort. Add a little hung yoghurt or even double cream and you get a light, moussey aubergine dip, add a little more garlic and powdered sesame seeds and you get a spread that holds its own. Trade the aubergine puree for cooked chickpea puree and you get hummous.

Ingredients:

Two medium sized ‘bharta’ aubergines (or about 4 cups of roast aubergine puree)

4 cloves of garlic

½ cup of good quality e.v. olive oil

½ cup of commercial tahina

(or toast and grind white sesame seeds and stir in with til oil)

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

Method:

Fire roast the aubergines until the skin is charred, crisp and splitting. Empty the cooked flesh (and the delicious juices running out of the aubergine) into a bowl. I don’t discard the seeds and have been known to throw in just a few slivers (about 1 tbsp worth) of the charred skin to enhance the smokiness of the moutabal. Crush the garlic. Now puree everything together and taste for salt, garlic and lemon. If it’s too thin for your liking, toast some white sesame seeds, grind them in a spice grinder and add, one tablespoon at a time. Garnish with parsley, green or black olives, mint and some more olive oil.

My favourite kind of veggies

Despite being part of an extremely carnivorous family (hear them roar!) immediate and extended, I’ve always been a secret veggie-sympathizer. Some of my best friends are vegetarians. There’re the spiritually inclined ones: with the glow and litheness of flesh nourished largely by chlorophyll. The ascetic ones: slightly bent, naturally averse to even the more meaty vegetarian offerings (‘please not baingan, I hate baingan’).

And then there’s my favourite type of vegetarian –the ‘stealth’ veggie – like my friend Shefali, a proper veggie but you’d never know. Her husband does recall the one time she once protested about something that was staring back at her from the freezer (two pomfrets) but she will joyfully introduce you to frog-porridge, discuss pork-floss and when in Tokyo bravely try (and fail) to eat sashimi (“I was in Tokyo! How could I not?”). Married to a man whose cuisine of choice, in a perfect world, would be ‘steak, very rare please’ Shefali can dream up incredible meat-feasts but has introduced us to the often hidden vegetarian gems in otherwise very meat-inclined cuisines, notably Japanese. On a washed-out evening in Singapore recently, she saved the day with a Moroccan inspired dinner conjured up out of bits, bobs and thin air. It reminded me of these recipes – earthy, vegetarian fare from a meat eating culture. The next time she’s in town, I’m making this for her.

Lemony Batata Vada (and a Mushy Pea variation)

My husband and I the other day were discussing how anything is more fun if you just add a samosa to it. (Yes, you’re right, we’re of that age.) But the same can be said of batata vadas. You know the feeling – some days, only the promise of a wada-pao at 4:00 p.m. can get you to work. What makes a great vada though? It’s got to be hot. The batter outside should be crisp (with a couple of browned, crumbly tentacles of batter still attached), all encompassing with a gentle yield. Inside, the filling must be the right blend of spicy with the herbs elevating the mashed potato. Then you get your cup of tea, maybe some dry garlic chutney and there you have it – a little piece of sunshine on a rainy day.   

Filling:

4/5 large potatoes, boiled and mashed

½ cup chopped mint leaves

½ cup chopped coriander leaves

Chopped green chilies

½ cup finely minced onion

Jeera seeds – 2 tsp

Rye seeds – 2 tsp

Curry leaves – 8

Hing - pinch

Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp

Juice of 2 lemons

Salt to taste

Batter:

Besan – 1 cup

Rice flour – ½ cup

Pinch of baking powder

Salt – 1.5 tsp

Coriander seed powder – 2 tsp

Jeera powder – 2 tsp

2 tsp chili powder

Method for LBV: Let the rye and jeera seeds spatter in hot oil, add a pinch of hing, then sautee the curry leaves, onion and ginger garlic paste until the onion is translucent. Add the mashed potatoes. Fork around to combine. Then turn the heat off, fold in the fresh herbs and the lemon juice, check for salt and leave covered in the hot pan (but with the gas off) for about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, roll the mixture into globes or 1 cm discs.

Variation: Minty Mushy Peas Batata Vada

1 large boiled potato, mashed

1 cup fresh mint, chopped

½ cup fresh parsley chopped

2 tbsp minced onion

1 tsp butter

1 cup green pea puree

Fresh green chili to taste (optional)

Salt to taste

Method for MMPBV: Just combine all the ingredients above and roll the mixture into small globes.

To Batter and Fry: Make the batter (it should be thick enough to coat the balls evenly). Heat oil in a heavy bottomed wok until a small drop of batter dropped in, rises sizzling, to the surface very quickly. Now gently dip the potato or pea globes into the batter and again, gently drop them into the hot oil. Don’t put too many in at a time. Let them fry on a brisk heat until golden. Drain – watch the rain – eat.

Onion Rings in Beer Batter

Ingredients:

4 of the largest onions you can buy

3 cups salted buttermilk

2 cups of maida

1 pint of beer

3 tsp garlic powder

3 tsp paprika flakes

2 tsp dried oregano / thyme

2 tsp parmesan powder (optional)

3 tsp salt

Method:

Cut the onions across their equators into 1 cm rings. Separate the rings and soak them in the salted buttermilk for about 1 hour.

Take two large bowls. In one, put 1 cup of maida and salt it (about 1.5 tsp) – stir through to make sure salt is evenly distributed. In the other, put in 1 cup of maida, garlic powder, paprika, dried herbs, parmesan, 1.5 tsp salt and the beer. Gently mix through till you get a nice batter. Drain the onion rings. Dip them in the dry maida and dust off excess flour – then dip in batter and drop into hot oil. Fry till golden. These are the crispest onionrings I’ve had in a while. Fiddle around with the seasoning if you like… Puree some roast red pepper, a couple of tablespoons of mayo, cream cheese and some Tabasco for a dip that goes perfectly!

Root Vegetable and Apricot Tagine

This is a tried and tested recipe many times over. It’s layered, hearty, complex and satisfying. I do a ‘meat’ version of this using cooked Goan sausage (instead of merguez) and cubed lamb or chicken but the root vegetable version is as beautiful, if not better. Because it’s fairly easy – a stew plus couscous – it works well for an informal gathering of friends or family. Keep in mind just one thing: as with all simple food, a little patience and love in the kitchen while making this peasanty tagine is the absolutely most important secret ingredient to its success.

Ingredients:

2 large red onions

4 cloves garlic

2 tbsps grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp chopped celery

1 cup chopped coriander leaves and stalks

1 cup chopped parsley

1 tbsp fresh thyme

2/3 cinnamon sticks

1 tbsp jeera powder

2 tsp paprika

1 vegetable stock cube

10 stoned dried apricots

2 tbsps black or golden raisins

Olive oil

Salt to taste

Root Vegetables: Cut into large, 1.5 inch thick, pieces: 2 large carrots, 2 medium sweet potatoes, 250 gms red pumpkin,  250 gms aubergine, 250 gms yam, 1 cup cooked chickpeas

Method:

Finely chop (or hand blend) the onions, garlic and ginger. In a heavy bottomed pan (with a close-fitting lid), sauté cinnamon, celery, onions, garlic, ginger, coriander, parsley and thyme until the onions begin to brown and the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the pan. Lower heat momentarily, add jeera powder and paprika and stir. Now add about 2 cups of hot water and the stock cube and stir. Throw in apricots and raisins, cover and leave on simmer for about 15 minutes. Open, taste for salt and throw in your root vegetables according to order of tenderness (sweet potatoes first, aubergines last). Simmer on very low until cooked. Garnish with fresh parsley and eat with couscous dressed with toasted almonds and lemon juice.

Yam Chips

Yam – ½ kilo

Tamarind – about 2 marble sized balls

1/2 cup rice flour

Hot water

Salt

Oil to fry

  

On a sheet of newspaper, lop off the muddy bits covering the yam with a sharp knife. Then wash the yam with salt till very clean. Cut into ½ cm slices or thinner if you can manage. Soak the yam in salted, tamarind infused hot water for about 15 minutes. Yam can sometimes have an itchy sap that can really annoy the throat so the soak deals with that effectively. Drain. Dust with salted rice flour and gently fry until golden brown.

*Chip Tip: You’re aiming to remove as much moisture from your vegetable in order for the chip to be as crisp as possible. Glen, the chief deep-fryer suggests working on getting that perfect balance of heat vs time – giving you a crisp product before it burns.

Radish-carrot-apple salad

Ingredients:

Juice of 4 lemons

1 tbsp rice wine or mirin

3 tsp sugar (you can adjust this later to taste)

salt to taste

2 Radishes, julienned or finely slivered with a peeler

2 Carrots, similar

1 apple similar

Method:

Sprinkle the radish and carrot with a little salt and leave to stand for about 5 minutes. In the meanwhile, in a small saucepan warm the lemon juice and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. While it’s still warm, add the rice wine or mirin and taste for salt. Cool to room temperature.

Squeeze the radish and carrot, toss with the shredded apple, dress with the sweet lemon dressing and serve with the burgers. Garnish with a little mint or basil or coriander